For decades, since acupuncture’s debut in the United States, there was a language barrier between Eastern and Western medicine. Historically, Asian medicine based concepts, principles, techniques and pathologies on its views of the world, culture and nature. So when Asian medicine addressed illness, pathogenic influences or imbalances, the terminology did not match Western-trained practitioners.

But today, due to positive integrations of Eastern and Western medicine, acupuncture physicians can communicate effectively in either realm. When communicating with Western medical practitioners, acupuncture physicians use Western terminology as part of their approach. Still, common terms in Traditional Chinese Medicine often seem nebulous from a Western biomedical viewpoint. Below are examples that, when demystified, become more understood.

Qi: This means “life-force,” and it is he body’s bioplasmic energy field composed of ions, positively charged protons and electrons that affect chemical changes and metabolic processes in the body.

Meridian: This is a neuro-chemical network that affects the organs, neurovascular system and immunity to prevent inflammation and restore balance.

Accupoints: These are body-wide subdermal triggers that, when stimulated, produce an energy wave along the related channel to affect the surrounding tissues and allow each point to communicate directly with its related organ.

Zang Fu: This is another word for organs which act like the roots of a tree, with meridians as the branches and acupoints as the buds on the end of those branches. Organs have their own intelligence, logic, intent and communication systems.

At East West College of Natural Medicine, we have a clinic of licensed natural medicine professionals which also serves as a training facility for Oriental Medicine students. We are open Monday–Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

 

For more information, call 800-883-5528 or visit EWCollege.edu.